Motor-vehicle axle.



`H. w. ALBEN. MOTOR VEHICLE AXLE.

1,241,893. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6. 1915. Y Patented Oct' 2,

N Ng@ Q w QQ @e h M2 l M64 I- m xq N H. W. ALBEN.

MOTOR VEHICLE AXLE.

nPPLncATmN mm fes. s, 1915,

Patented Oct. 2, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

` UMTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

mBEBT W. ALBEN, F DETROIT, MIGI-IIGAN, ABSIGNOB T0 THE TIlIkEN-DETROIT AXLIE! COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

MOTOR-VEHICLE AXLE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 2, 1917.

Application `Med. February 0, 1915. Serial No. 6,481.

To all lwhom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HERBERT. W. Armin, a'citizen `of the United States, and a resident of the city of Detroit, county of Wayneand State of Michigan, have invented a' new. and useful Improvement .in Motor- Vehicle Axles, of which the following is a I.,speccation. 'Ths invention relates to hollow driving l0 'axles for motor Avehicles, and particularly to'therrangemeut of the driving parts for p'gwn'driven live drivingr axles.

f 011e -of'the objects o this invention 1s a simple and compact arrangement of the ljdriving mtherefr, such. that few parts arerequlred, `and. the assembling and roper adjustment of the artsis easllyfper ormed. n Another.v object o the invention is a mountin for the bevel driving gears and .dierenl jlfgear and' their bearings which ivliits'of ready inspection and rremoval of me :gears and adjustment of the bearings, 4and which can be accurately and cheaply .mede, which is ri -d, and which cannot easily get out -of adjustment.

The invention consists in housing the drivingparts in a li ht weight hollow axle casing having 'a mi dle portion ,whichI is adapted to receive a differential gear carder which rotatably supports the inner ends of the drivinlg axles, an end portions havadjustab e bearings for the outer ends :gthe-driving axles, 'wheleby either said I6 carrier or'said drivin axles may vbe adlned independently. u eA invention also vin a carrier member for the driving ersfoffstrong, light constructionfwhich can `accurately made and which is" not liable to out of adjustment. The invention furl consistsv in the construction and arvllligemejnt of '-partsshown inthe accom-v pnnyingf drawings, which illustrate a preerred crm of the'inventlon. What the 46 invention comprises ispartcularaed in the A apiiendd'claims. i

f lit edrawii s,.in:`which the same referlence erwters esig'natellike parts in the new mens,

`re 11s al horizontal section' of a porof n n axle embodying the invention;`

.9115 across-section on the line 2-2 in L1, in the direction of the gear and shafts, and bearingsrsupported in their respective between conical v19 is seemed in an edjetabl Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the casing,

carrier frame and pedestal, on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a gear carrie'., the split pedestal cap being removed; an

Fig. 5 is u detail sectional view on thej line 5 5 in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, showing the clamping and locking' means of the holders for the bearings at the outer ends of the driving axles.

he driving axle shown in the drawings is rotatably mounted in n substantially rectangular axle casing or housing 10, which has tubular extensions 11 at its ends within which are journaled the outer ends of the axle sections 12, The hollow axle easing' 10 inner ends of the axle sections abut, and areparts of the erential gearing for rotation thereby.

The outer ends of the driving axle sections 12 project through the tubular ends' of the axle housing, and carry the road wheels of the vehicle. The hubs 14 of the road Wheels are keyed on the tapered ends of theaxle sections, and are held on by nuts 15",.'which are provided with slots through itil'. rodi-al pins 16 which pass through' trans'- verse holes in theouter ends ofthe driving axles. Th ends of the driving' axle sec-` tions are 'covered and the pins' lare held in place, by the l'nub caps 17 which screw on the hubs over the outer end in axle sections. The outer end of each axe section 12 is rotatably supported'in n' combined radial and thrust antifrietion bearing ycornprisin taperedrollers a .1 "i aring race-ways. inner race-way or conc 18 is pressed on the tapered end of the axle section ahead of the wheel hub.v The outer` rece-way ir-"ring @remember "iw-fand 420 which` is` threadedon itsi; whivh isserewed into the` the ubular extensionll of theexlehous- #wie 'A threadedA endv 'of s of the driv yimg 1o. The threaded end of the tubular extension 11 is split longitudinally along one side, and a split clamping ring 21 is clamped around it by a bolt 22 to bind it around the threaded cup 20 and hold the latter in adjusted position. The cup has a series of longitudinal grooves 23 spaced around its eriphery, and a washer 24, which is heldp between the ends of the split clamping ring 21 by the clamping bolt, projects into one of the grooves 23 and locks the cup in adjusted position. The arrangement of the conical race ways is such that outward thrust on the Wheel and driving axle is resist/ed by the outer bearing ring and the axle sectionfis thereby prevented from being Withdrawn from the housing. The inward thrust is resisted by the opposite driving axle section. By removin the wheel and hub from the end of the riving axle, the locking means for the cup 20 are exposed, and the latter can be unscrewed from the tubular support 11, thereby enabling the driving axle to be withdrawn from the h ousin The inner ends of the driving axle sections `are provided with ribs or teeth 25 `vhich slidably engage in the grooved hubs of the two oppositely disposed bevel gears 26 of the differential gear. The bevel gears 26 are journaled in the spider 27 which carries the small bevel' pinions 28 of the differential gear, all of which parts are mounted in the differential gear drum 29. Q n

The differential gear drum is rotated from the propeller shaft 30 by means of a bevel pinion 31 on the propeller shaft wh Ich meshes with a bevel gear 32 secured toa titrage which encircles the drum. The propeller shaft 1s journaled in bearings which are mounted in a gear carrier 33 which is bolted to one side of the axle casing, and the hubs ot the differential gea'r drum are journaled in two pedestals 34, 35`which project from the gear carrier 33 into the axle housing 'In axial alinement with the wheel hubs. Tapered roller bearings of an adjustable tlge Such as are shown in my Patent No. 92 Se, for example, are used for mounting lso-bk the propeller shaft and the dilferentml drum. The bearing ring 36 for the inner ered of the propeller shaft is mounted in A Solid pedestal 37 which is an integral Pesi: o? the gear carrier, and the ring 38 for the OpPos te bearing is` mounted in an adjustoble sleeve 39 which screws into the gear cartier totolre u the wear in the propeller shaft hearings. 'Ilie side wall of the gear carrier is SPWC l'n from the end which carries the sleeve 3Q, d the latter can be locked in adjusted posi-ti n by a clampin 4bolt 40 and dctent 4l,

gagement therewith by the bolt 40.

"lle, detenthas a nger which engages in one off` a series of notches 44 in the periph@ ry o? the flanged end of the sleeve, and is held In en#` The.

bearing 42 on the hub ofthe differential drum next to the large bevel driving gear is adjustable lengthwise on the hub to take up wear in the bearings for the drum. It is held in proper position by means of an adjusting ring nut 43 and lock nut 45. The other bearing 46 for the differential drum is not adjustable on the hub.

The pedestal 34 on the side of the differential gear drum next to the large bevel driving ear is solid. The opposite edestal 35 is sp 1t in a vertical plane (as s own in Fig. 3), and is provided with a removable cap 47 for the bearing 46. This cap is held in place by stud bolts and nuts 48. A spacing washer 49 is inserted between the pedestal 35 and the ring or outer race member 50 of the bearing 46. Upon withdrawal of the driving axles 12 from engagement with the hubs of the gears 26,j and the removal of the cap 47 and spacingA washer 4S), the 'bearing 46 and drum can be shifted endwise away casing from rotatingr other than the springs which must resist the driving` and brakingv torque, or forces tending to rotate the axle casing produced by the driving and braking devices. The axle casing 10 is preferably of approximatelv square shape near its ends, having Hat top and bottom walls, and having side walls which have a slight outward slant from the upper and lower corners to the middle horizontal Aplane of the axle. The springs 52 preferably are suspended below the axle by means of a U- shaped hanger 53, as shown in. Fig. 2. The upper leaf of the 4spring is seated against a saddle 54, which has two lugs or arms 55 embracing the adjacent portions of the s ide` walls of the axle and slantingr outward to conformthereto. `The side walls 56 of the hanger also slant outward1 to conform to the slant of the -adiacent portions of the side walls of the axle. The hanger bolts 57, four in number depend from the side walls 56 of the hanger near its ends on both sides of the axle, and embrace the spring and saddle between them. The spring rests on a plate 58, having holes in its four corners through which the hanger bolts pass, and the parts are` all tightly clamped together by screwing up the nuts 59 hard against the under side of the plate. Suitable means is provided for locking ,the nuts in place. A stud 60, which is riveted or otherwise secured to the hanger, litsfin a hole in the top wall of the axle and positions the parts lengthwise ofthe axle. l j Y The road wheels `are each provided with a brake drum 61 which is secured on the inside of the spokes, and-which is adapted to be engaged by a friction band 62 arranged therein. The brake band 62 is supported on an annular disk 63 which is secured on the end of the axle casin 10, and is held from rotating with the W eel by means of an anchor arm 64 carried by the disk. As shown in the drawings, the annular disk 63 is a portion of the tubular extension 11 of the axle housing, and forms a dust shield for the brake. The shaft for the brake actuating cam 65 is also supported by the dust shield. The tubular axle extension 11 has a flaring conical wall connecting the split portion which supports thc bearing cup 20 with the dust shield 63. Around the larger end of the Haring conical wall, where 1t joins the dust shield, is a flat annular portion formin an inner end facefor the extension 11. T is `face contacts flatwise with the outer face of an annular circumferential flange 66 on the end of the axle housing and is securely riveted or welded thereto. u or projections 67 on the flat face of the a e extension 11 position the ange 66 concentrically with res ect to the axle extension. The outer end of he axle housing 10 is iared outward in the form of a cone 68 to meet the flange A66. Thewall vof the cone runs down on the sides of the square axle housing in the middle of each sideand the corners of the square axle housing run up on the wall of the cone, thereby causing. an overlapping ofzthe two portionsfat their junction and forminlg a adual transition from one shape to t e ot er which has no one point which is appreciably weaker .than the points on each side of it. This arrangement does not require that anz,v holes be made in the axle housing where it 1s weak, and so the full cross-sectional area of the steel iS available to support the bending and twist-A ing stresses at the weakest points between the driving axle bearings and the spring support.l

Among construction are the fo lowing: First, there are fewer parts than in 'prior constructions embodying hollow axles, the arts can be lighter for the same strength y reason of their form, and they can be easily assembled and removed as ,need be. Second, the form and arrangement of .they'can be manufactured with precision and bled with accuracy. Third, the adjustments are few, they are entirely independent of each other, they are simple and easy to make.Y and they are provided with positive locks. Fourth, the parts are compactly arranged in such manner as to lessen the moment arms of forces acting 1n couples tri produce bending or twisting, and thereby rigidity and silent operation are promoted. It is evident that changes in the form, di,

mensions and arrangements. of some of the` parts of the axle may be made without sacri:

the advanta es of the foregoing thereby, said bevel Vdriving journaled in said gear carrier,

gears are rigidly maintained mrelative po- -the parts is such that Vso shaped as icing the objects of the invention, and the invention is not restricted to the forms and arrangements of parts shown in the drawi except as particularized in the append claims.

What I claim is:

1. A driving axle comprising a casin having its middle enlarged and rovide with .an opening tolreceive the driving gear, said casing having hollow extremities at the ends of'which the road wheels are journaled, a gear carrier secured to said casing around said opening and having two pedestals for combined radial and thrust bearings projecting through said opening into the casing in longitudinal alinement` a drum journaled in said pedestals, one of said pedestals beinlg solid with said gear carrier and .the other eing split in an axial plane' and provided with a removable cap and a part removable with the cap to permit endwise movement of said drum, equalizing gear-in in said drum, a bevel driving gear secured to said drum, a bevel driving pinion journaled in alined bearings in said carrier, subextremities of the casing and having at their outer ends operative engagement with the road wheels, the inner ends of said drivin shafts being slidable axially through said pedestals into said drum for engagement with said equalizing gearing.

2. 'A driving axle comprising a unitary axle casing, driving axle sections for driving the road Wheels arranged in said casing, a gear carrier secured to one side of said casing, and removable laterally therefrom, said gear carrier having two pedestals pro- ]'ectin into said casing in alinement with saidiriving axle sections, one of said pedestals being solid with said gear carrier, an equalizing gear drum journaled in said alining pedestals, a bevel driving gear secured to said drum, a bevel drivingi pinion arranged at right angles to sai drum and meshing with the bevel gear carried pinion bein wherebysai sition and alinement, and said casingbemg to permit endwise movement Van'drotation ofsaid drum whereby it can be removed.

.l A driving axle comprising a casing, driving axle sections for driving the road Wheels arranged in said casing, a gear carrier secured' to one side of said casing, said gear carrier' having two pedestals projecting -into said casing in'alinement with said driving axle sections, being solid with said gear camion-'and a third pedestal inte al with said gaat carrier and transverse y arranged wi respect A nurl one of said pedestals to said two alining pedestals, an equalizing gear drum journaled in Said alining pedestals, the journal bearings in said pedestals being arranged to permit said drum to be swung out of alinement with said pedestals and withdrawn from said casing, a bevel driving gear secured to said equalizing drum next to said Solid pedestal. a bevel driving pinion arranged at right angles to said drum and meshing with the bevel gear can ried thereby, said bevel driving pinion being journaled at its end adjacent to said drum in said transverse pedestal of said gear carrier, vvl'iereby said gears are rigidly maintained in relative position and alinement.

4. A driving axle comprising a casing having its middle enlarged and provided with an opening to receive the driving gear, said easing having hollow extremities at the ends of which the road wheels are journaled,

a gear carrier Secured to said easing around said opening and having tvvo pedestals for combined radial and thrust bearings projecting through said opening into the easing in longitudinal alinenient, oneof said pedestals being solid with said gear carrier and. the other being split in an axial plane and provided with a removable cap, a drum having hubs journaled in combined radial and thrust bearings in said pedestals, the bearing at one end of said drum being adjustable lengthwise on its hub to take up wear in both bearings, and a Washer between the outer end of one bearing and the split pedestal to take thrust on said bearing, and driving Shafts arranged in the hollow extrelnities of the easing and having at their outer ends operative engagement with the road wheels, the inner ends of said driving shafts being slidable axially through said pedestals into said drum for enga e ment with said equalizing gear, Where y when said driving Shafts are Withdrawn Troni said pedestals said cap and washer may he removed and said drum be dis mounted.

5. A driving axle comprising a easing having its middle enlarged and provided with an opening to receive the driving gear, a gear carrier secured to said easing and having two pedestals for hearings project ing through said opening into the easing in longitudinal alinement, one of said pedestals being solid with said gear carrier and the other being split in an axial plane and provided with a removable cap, a drum having hubs journaled in bearingel in said pedestals, and a Washer between the outer end oi' one hearing and the split pedestal vto position Said bearing, and driving shafts ar- 'ranged in the hollow extremities of the easing, the inner ends of said driving shafts being slidable axially through sind pedestals Into said drum for engagement with said equalizing geart whereby when said' driving shafts are Withdrawn from eaid pedestale said eap and washer mayy be re moved and said drum dmmounted.

Signed at Detroit, Mich., this 2nd day of February, 1915. d

HERBERT Vv. A Lljll lliitneesee l W. Noirrnovnn, i Leeuw WILLIAMe v 

